sarren

Sexual Assault, Triggering, and Warnings: An Essay A fan explains why warnings on fic are important, drawing on her own experience of abuse - "Warning: Very explicit discussion of sexual assault and the nature, anatomy, cause & effect of triggers. Is itself triggery."


You know, I do get both sides of the 'debate' that's going on about the importance of putting warnings on fic. When I watch a show or a movie, knowing some big event is going to happen negates the impact, and waiting for it to happen lessens my enjoyment of the build up, so I get that some people don't want to read warnings on fics because it is spoilery, and it affects their enjoyment of the fic. OTOH, occasionally when I am watching my show, if something is building in a way that is starting to have a negative affect on my enjoyment, I NEED to be told what's going to happen beforehand so I'm not caught off guard, or else I won't be able to enjoy it. And mostly if it involves rape, I'm probably going to stop watching.

What I don't get is what *assholes* some fans are being towards abuse survivors who have spoken up to explain why warnings on fic are important in order for them to participate in this aspect of fandom. In a supposedly supportive space, mostly inhabited by women, I find this level of insensitivity towards our vulnerable members really upsetting.


Of course, when I rule the world the problem will be solved.

Posting a story to a community will be thus:

All fic content will be posted in personal journals, only the actual link posted to the community. Warnings in headers will be done away with, instead there will a compulsory lj-cut, that people can choose to click on, or not, called 'Warnings' or 'Sky blue elephants' for all I care. Under that cut will be either warnings, a statement that says no warnings needed, or a statement that the author does not warn. Which is a perfectly valid position, you click on their fic, you takes your chances. Personally, I usually won't, because life is too short, but depending on how much time I have for fic reading, how brave I am feeling, I may click and venture forth warily, ready to hit the back button. But I can do that, because I don't have triggers.


So there. And now I'm going back to not having opinions on stuff.